Release courtesy of Susquehanna Athletic Communications
SELINSGROVE, Pa. – Making its first appearance in the NCAA DIII Football Championships since 2009, Susquehanna fell to visiting Utica 17-10 on Saturday in Selinsgrove. With the defeat, the Centennial Conference champion River Hawks conclude the year at 10-1.
A defensive struggle from the outset, the first score for either team would not come until late in the first quarter, when a short 6 play, 17-yard drive from Susquehanna ended in a 40-yard field goal make by Elijah Hoffman. The lead wouldn't last long though, as Utica opened their own scoring a few minutes later, kicking a 25-yard field goal with 13:19 remaining in the second quarter. The scoring would go cold, similar to the game atmosphere, a blistering and windy afternoon, as for the next 23 minutes of game time, the teams would trade empty possessions and turnovers until late in the third quarter. After a drive stalled for SU at the Utica 39, the punt team came out to attempt to pin the Pioneers in their own end. However, a high snap allowed Utica into the backfield and the punt would be blocked and recovered by the defender, who returned the ball all the way to Susquehanna's 10-yard line, setting up an immediate red zone chance for Utica's struggling offense.
The Pioneers took advantage, connecting on a five-yard pass for a touchdown, the first of the game. Turnovers would plague SU's offense as they fought for a responding score, and ultimately the next points would also go Utica's way, as they scored a second touchdown in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter to take a two-score lead. The River Hawks next drive would span 12 plays, 66 yards, and 5:02 on the clock as they finally punched in their first touchdown of the game, a two-yard run for Frankie Negrini set up by the combined running contributions of Hunter Coulter and quarterback Michael Ruisch, along with two completions to Michael Lefever. Now down 17-10 with 9:21 left in the game, the SU defense came up with another big stop to force a punt by Utica and give Susquehanna a chance for a game-tying drive with 4:58 on the clock. That drive would be a three-and-out.
But the defense stepped up again, stalling Utica at the SU 41 and forcing another punt. That punt pinned Susquehanna's offense at their own six, and they needed to cover 94 yards with just 1:35 on the clock to score a touchdown. They began well in that endeavor, covering 54 yards in four straight completions, with Ruisch finding Jacob Erb, Eddie Nugent, Kyle Howes, and Lefever. But with a 1st and 10 at Utica's 40, a deep pass toward the end zone would be picked off by Utica's defense, putting an end to the River Hawks' comeback hopes. With only two timeouts and 46 seconds on the clock, they could not stall the final whistle.
Despite bowing out, the River Hawks will take plenty of positives from this campaign, having claimed a Centennial Conference Championship for the first time and going undefeated. With the Landmark Conference preparing to sponsor football for the first time next season, SU will have some new opponents to face and a new conference title to chase in 2023.